Doctor Friends Can Come in Handy
by Kathryn0505
Summary: Jo seems worried about something and Henry can't help his curiosity. Probably a bit OOC, but I tried! It's a new show, after all.


"Ah, good morning, Detective!" Henry said brightly as she walked into the autopsy bay. "It's a fine day so far, is it not?"

Jo nodded her head and smiled weakly at the strange ME, not quite up to his level of enthusiasm.

"Not for this guy, it's not," she replied, coming to stand by the corpse.

"Well, no, I suppose not," Henry conceded, looking down at the man. "But still, it could be worse; he was not murdered!"

"He wasn't?" she asked in surprise.

"Nope," Lucas jumped in as he came into the room and handed Henry a folder. "Just an idiotic accident."

Henry gave Lucas an irritated glance. "Well, it was," Lucas said. "… but I'll let you tell it."

"Very well. You see, it appears that he-" Henry began, only to stop as Jo held up a hand and interrupted him.

"Henry! I have a ton of things to do today. So just tell me: do I have anything to investigate here or not?"

Henry frowned, both at her tone and at the fact that her hand returned to her chest, rubbing at her breastbone for the second time since she'd entered.

"Not unless the police have begun investigating accidents caused by little home repair knowledge combined with a fatal amount of confidence," he answered.

"They haven't," she said. "See you later." With that she turned to walk away only for Henry to follow on her heels.

"Are you alright, Detective?" he asked quietly as they made their way to the elevator.

"I'm great," she replied. "Why?" She hit the button to go up impatiently and together they waited.

"Well, you don't seem yourself today. You seem... distracted by something," he said. "That and you keep touching your chest and leaning forward."

She snatched her hand away, unaware she had been doing it at all. "I've got a ton of work to do," she said, stepping into the elevator as the doors finally opened, "that's all."

"Alright," he said doubtfully, watching as the doors closed between them.

He'd get to the bottom of this.

FOREVER

Henry did not see Jo for the rest of the day, seeing as they did not have a case. However, a body did come in later that evening that required his attention. He knew within ten minutes that it was a murder, and was glad for his luck (although sorry for the deceased) as it meant he would see her again and be one step closer to discovering her secret.

She came in at 11 that night to check on his progress. She never seemed to go home, something that he thought unhealthy but that he understood all the same.

"Murder weapon?" she asked.

"Nothing fancy, here, I'm afraid. Just a regular ole kitchen knife. Very unimaginative."

"Crime of passion?" she suggested.

"Possible," he confirmed. "There are 6 stab wounds, which isn't too many by some accounts, but given that the murder weapon was so convenient, it's possible that the killer simply grabbed whatever was close."

"Or the killer decided to use a common, untraceable murder weapon when he set out to murder her," Jo argued.

"Also possible," he admitted.

Jo sighed. "Alright, I'll start looking into her personal life in the morning."

"I should be done with all of my findings in the morning. Of course, toxicology will take longer but I see no reason that the results will be unusual. Seems to be a simple stabbing so far."

He waited a moment before turning to look at her as she didn't respond. "Jo?"

"Sorry, what?" she replied, looking away from the very interesting spot on the floor.

"I was saying I'll be done with the autopsy in the morning."

"Great."

"Alright, what is the matter?" he asked. She looked up at him suspiciously. "Don't think I've forgotten."

"It's nothing, Henry," she said.

"I disagree," he retorted, coming to sit beside her.

"Alright, it's personal," she said instead. She stood up to leave.

"Fair enough," he told her. As she began to walk away, he called her name and waited for her to turn. "It might make you feel better to tell someone else."

He could practically see the internal debate she was having as it played out on her face. Finally she sighed and looked down before coming back to sit beside him in one of the rolling chairs.

"It's embarrassing," she said.

"I've heard it all, believe me," he reassured her, his curiosity piqued even more.

"I-" she began, before panicking and changing her mind. "Nevermind. I can't talk to you about this."

"Jo!" he called out again as she went to flee. "When you tell me, I promise to keep it between us."

He watched as she nodded in response before leaving for the night. He tamped down his frustration. He'd been so close!

FOREVER

"Death did indeed occur due to damage and blood loss caused by the stabbing," Henry said, handing Jo his official findings the next morning.

"Any forensic evidence?"

"There was some hair on the body," he said. "We sent it off. It could simply be cat hair from her feline companion but perhaps we will get lucky."

"Alright," Jo nodded. "I'm heading over to talk to the boyfriend. Want to come?"

"I'd be delighted," he replied.

FOREVER

By the time they had looked over the victim's shared apartment and spoken to her boyfriend, both were convinced that he was the killer. He'd been shifty and had a history of violence. Now it was just a matter of bringing him in for further questioning. She hadn't wanted to spook him so they decided to wait until the hair analysis came back.

They had been able to get a DNA sample from him, telling him that it would be helpful to rule his DNA out from the killer's. The problem was that even if the hair samples matched, the defense would easily be able to write it off as being due to the fact that they lived together and she would naturally have his hair on her. They would need to get a confession.

In the meantime, Henry insisted that they get lunch.

"So, Detective, what's the next step?" he asked, digging into his salad.

"Well," she began, swallowing, "talk to a few more people, wait for the hair analysis. And then bring him in."

"Alright," he said. He watched as she devoured her burger and fries. It wasn't the healthiest meal, but he figured she knew that based on the way her husband died.

She was lost in her head again and he decided to leave her to her food. He was startled when she finally spoke up.

"Okay, so what I'm about to tell you is strictly between us, got it?"

"Of course," he assured, though he was surprised that she was confiding in him now all of a sudden.

"I've been worried about something. I… found some kind of lump in my breast. And I'm waiting for a doctor's appointment but they can't get me in for three weeks!" she huffed in annoyance. "How stupid is that? They tell you to do self-checks and then when you could be dying of cancer you have to stew over it for weeks until your appointment!"

He opened his mouth but realized he wasn't sure what to say.

She caught his look. "I'm sorry," she said. "This isn't your problem." She leaned her head on her arm where it rested on the table.

"It's fine," he said, reaching out to briefly rest his hand on her other forearm.

"My cousin died of breast cancer," she said.

"I'm sorry," Henry told her.

"I can't stop thinking about it." She'd laid awake for hours the night before, going over every scenario in her mind. Eventually she decided to tell him, hoping he could reassure her. "It's possible it's not cancer, right?"

"Absolutely," he said. "There are a number of different things that could be the cause. An infection, for example. Or a cyst. It could even be a benign tumor. It could be malignant as well, of course," he continued, unable to stop himself.

"Henry!" she snapped. "That's not helping."

"Right," he frowned. "Would you like me to take a look?" he asked.

"What? No!" she immediately answered, sitting up in surprise.

"I assure you, Jo, that I have no ulterior motive. I was once, as you put it, a 'real doctor,' after all."

"No!" she said with finality.

"All right," he said, holding his hands up in surrender. "But my offer stands. How many other doctor friends do you have?"

"Thanks," she said somewhat sarcastically. "I'll pass."

"Very well. Should we get back to investigating, then?" he asked brightly.

FOREVER

"Alright, we should bring the boyfriend in," Jo told them the next day. There was nothing to indicate that anyone else in her life had been involved, and sometimes the simplest explanation for murder was the likeliest. "If he gets nervous and bolts, we might never get him."

"But we don't have anything to tie him to the murder," Hanson replied. "If we don't crack him, he'll definitely know we're on to him."

"I don't think anything will tie him to the murder," Henry added. "The only thing definite is his hair, but as the lovely detective pointed out earlier, that's not that unusual since they were living together. Waiting won't bring us more evidence, I'm afraid."

"Bring him in," their lieutenant decided.

FOREVER

A few short hours later Jo was dropping him off. The boyfriend had taken a few hours, but eventually he confessed to killing the victim. They'd gotten into a vicious fight and he'd stabbed her. Panicked, he'd dumped the body, not expecting her to be found, especially not so quickly.

"Thank you for the ride, Detective," Henry said as she pulled in front of the store. "Abe asked me to tell you that he is making a world class roast tonight if you would be so inclined as to join us."

"I'd like that," she said. The last thing she needed was to sit in her empty apartment. "But… do you think you could do me that favor first?" She'd considered it all day. She finally realized that she couldn't stand the three week wait to find out anything and she'd take any medical opinion she could get at this point.

"With pleasure," he said, before realizing how that sounded. "I just mean, yes, of course. I'm happy to help."

She actually gave a small laugh as he rushed to cover himself. "I get it, Henry. Thank you."

Ten minutes later she found herself in one of the bathrooms of his and Abe's apartment.

Seeing her hesitate, Henry told her, "Don't be shy, Jo. I've seen hundreds if not thousands of breasts by now. Granted most of them belonged to the deceased…"

"Alright," she said, beginning to unbutton her blouse. "It just seems weird, asking you to do this."

"I'm a doctor," he waved off. He looked away as she pulled one arm out of the sleeve and unhooked her bra, allowing both her shirt and bra to hang from one shoulder.

"Sorry," he told her. "Need to see both sides."

She rolled her eyes but did as requested, pulling both items off completely and placing them on the bathroom counter. "I don't see why."

"So I can see swelling, for example," he told her. He moved closer to get a better look and she shifted at the way he was _staring_,eye level with her chest as he bent over.

"I take it this is the problem," he pointed to her left breast where a large bluish spot was located just above her nipple. "May I?" he gestured, asking if it was alright to touch her.

"Why not, we're already here," Jo muttered, partly to herself.

"Ow," she hissed as he prodded the spot.

"Did it come on suddenly?" he asked her, looking at her right breast for a comparison.

"Yeah. Almost overnight."

"Does it hurt?"

"Only when it hits something."

"Hmmm," he said. He ran his fingers over the edges of the lump and gave it one last look before pulling back to stand at full height.

"You can put your clothes back on," he said. He once more looked away as she dealt with her clothing. Sure, he'd already seen her, but it just seemed polite.

"Well, I obviously can't know for sure, but I would be very surprised if that turned out to be cancerous."

"Really?" she asked hopefully. She began buttoning her shirt once more. "How can you tell?"

"Well, generally cancers don't appear so suddenly. And the color and pain suggest to me it's more likely to be an abscess or some kind of cyst."

"Is that bad?" she asked.

"Not really," he told her. "It may need to be drained, is all."

"So I should keep my appointment?" she asked as he led her out of the bathroom and toward the kitchen.

"To be safe," he told her. "It may go away on its own in the meanwhile. I wouldn't be too concerned about it if I were you. Get it checked, but I'd say it's okay to relax."

Jo visibly did so and slumped into one of the stools at the bar.

"Thanks, Henry," she said. He really had taken a load off her mind. Sure, maybe it was a little weird, but like he said, he was a doctor after all. And for some reason she felt comfortable around him, sensing he wasn't even slightly interested in her. It probably had something to do with Abigail. In any case, it was nice to have a friend who expected nothing from her.

"You're quite welcome."

Abe walked into the kitchen at that moment to check the roast.

"So, everything good?" he asked. He opened the oven door and took a peak at the meat.

"I think so," Henry reported.

"You know, Detective, I'm not a doctor, but I would be happy to look any time," Abe added as he shut the door once more, satisfied at the progress.

"Abraham!" Henry reprimanded, though he could see that Jo was smiling.

"Relax, Henry, I'm just teasing," Abe said. He winked at Jo and she laughed.

"Well, thank you, but I think I'll let you feed me dinner instead." There was something about these two that just put her at ease. She had a feeling there was more to what they'd told her about how they knew one another, but she wasn't sure what it was. Even so, she felt like she could be herself there, without judgment.

"Good choice," Abe replied. "This will be the finest meal you've tasted."

"Big promises," she said.

"I'll deliver," he said. "Go, wait outside," he shooed them out. "It's a nice night."

Together Henry and Jo waited for Abe to finish up. She was swirling her wine around as Henry asked, "Something on your mind?"

"It's just-" she began. "You and Abe seem so comfortable with one another. I mean, you said you're practically family."

"We are," Henry agreed, unsure where this was going.

"I miss that," she admitted. "Ever since… my husband died, I miss having that. Something happens, like this breast cancer scare, and I want to go to him, but he's not here anymore."

"I understand," Henry told her. She looked at him closely and she realized that he did understand and wasn't just giving her empty platitudes. It spurred her on.

"When I was shot, I know it was just clean through, but for the first couple days I had the hardest time washing my hair," she told him. "It's been almost a year but I still thought, 'I'll get him to help me,' before I remembered."

She took a drink from her glass, wondering if she'd said too much. It felt nice to get some things off her chest. She'd lost most of her friends with his death, since they were friends with many other couples who didn't understand how to fit her into their dynamic anymore. Not that she wanted to see them anymore, anyway, and be reminded of what she'd lost.

To her surprise she felt herself begin to tear up and blinked rapidly to push the tears back. Henry put a hand on her shoulder in comfort. He didn't say anything but she knew that he was listening to her. He just knew that there wasn't anything to say that would help.

"Sorry," she said, sniffling a bit. "That's enough wine for me, I think."

Henry gave her a reassuring smile and handed her a napkin. "No need for apologies," he told her. "After Abigail died… it comes in waves," he remembered. "And you don't always see it coming."

Jo wiped away the few tears that had managed to escape and took a deep breath. She finally braved up enough to look up at him and found that he was giving her a compassionate glance.

"Thanks, Henry," she told him for the second time that evening.

"Not a problem," he told her. He hadn't been lying when he'd told her he worried about her, and if he could help in some small way, he was glad to.

He looked up to see Abe hovering just inside, obviously waiting for a good moment to come out with the food. Henry tilted his head in a way that indicated it was fine and the door swooshed open.

"Wow!" Jo said. "This looks great!" She put the napkin Henry had handed her down and sat up straighter in her chair.

"I told you I'd deliver," Abe said. He put the roast in front of them on the table, along with a cutting knife. He took his own seat as Henry sliced it up and doled it out.

Soon they were digging in. As she became more and more stuffed, Jo realized something. Somewhere along the way, she'd found herself a pair of friends. And at the very least, she was momentarily content.


End file.
